Deer hunting season on the Lindenberg Peninsula near Petersburg will be much shorter this fall.
Alaska’s Board of Game Monday approved a two-week season and a one-buck bag limit for the Lindenberg Peninsula on the eastern side of Kupreanof Island, as proposed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The season length and bag limit will mirror the regulations for deer on Mitkof Island. The season on Lindenberg has been open four months, from August through November, with a two-buck bag limit.
Fish and Game proposed the hunting reduction because of concerns over low deer numbers. The Department’s area wildlife biologist Rich Lowell told the board there are a number of factors that have impacted the deer population in the area. “Those include deep snow winters, predation, reductions in deer carrying capacity and potential influences of competition from an increasing moose herd,” Lowell said.
Lindenberg had a similar short season and one buck bag limit before 2003. The department proposal also closes the non-resident deer season. Board member Teresa Sager-Albaugh of Tok proposed an amendment to that closure. “If you can summarize what you think the effect would be if we adopted the changes with the exception of the closure to the non-residents,” Sager-Albaugh asked, “Would there be some wiggle room in there to leave open some non-residents season on the Lindenberg Peninsula or do you feel that would be detrimental to the whole plan?”
Fish and Game’s Lowell responded that non-resident hunting and harvest on Lindenberg is very low and didn’t object to that change.
However, board chair Ted Spraker of Soldotna noted the Board was considering an intensive management program for wolves in the area and said past boards have reduced hunting opportunity in conjunction with other predator control programs. He argued against the amendment for leaving non-resident hunting open. “It’s been the practice of this board that any time we engage in predator management, we reduce opportunity and other forms of mortality on moose, caribou and this case deer, so that we can increase our chances of being successful in getting these prey populations back as soon as we can.”
The rest of the board sided with Spraker and voted down that amendment. The board then voted 7-0 to approve the main proposal for Lindenberg deer season reductions, as proposed by the department with a two week season and one-buck bag limit for residents only.
For an earlier story on this proposal, click here:
